Fire Prevention and Investigation - As enacted, requires the commissioner of commerce and insurance to fulfill certain duties for the volunteer firefighter vehicle grant program, which is established to annually provide , the official text

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                     ~tate of ~ennessee

                         PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 1031

                                                  HOUSE BILL NO. 2446

  By Representatives Gary Hicks, Sherrell, Moody, Lamberth, Doggett, Alexander, Hawk,
                              Davis, Bricken, Littleton, Powers, Russell, White

                                       Substituted for: Senate Bill No. 2338

   By Senators Seal, Hatcher, Bailey, Gardenhire, Bowling, Haile, Harshbarger, Hensley,
                             Lowe, Pody, Reeves, Rose, Stevens, Walley, White

         AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, relative to grants to volunteer
fire departments.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

          SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 102, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:

                    (a) The volunteer firefighter vehicle grant program is established to annually
          provide grants to select volunteer fire departments to assist with local match
          requirements for federal grants to purchase vehicles. The commissioner of commerce
          and insurance shall establish the amount the state contributes. However, the grant
          program must not fund the total local match portion in any year.

                    (b) The commissioner shall strive to distribute grant program funding
          proportionally based on the number of recognized volunteer fire departments serving
          each of the three (3) grand divisions of this state.

                    (c) The commissioner shall decide which grants to award and shall disburse the
         grants to the selected volunteer fire departments. The commissioner shall strive to
          expend all funds appropriated to the grant program each year, and any funds remaining
          must remain available for expenditure for the program created by subsection (a) and the
         volunteer firefighter equipment and training grant program created in § 68-102-154(b)(1 ).
         Any funds remaining must not revert to the general fund but remain available for
         expenditure in subsequent fiscal years for either grant program.

                   (d) It is the legislative intent to fund the grant program created by subsection (a)
          by providing an initial appropriation of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in the
          appropriation act for fiscal year 2026-2027.

                   (e) The commissioner shall promulgate rules to establish guidelines for
         evaluating grant requests and determining which volunteer fire departments receive
         grants pursuant to this section. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the
          Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.

         SECTION 2. For the purpose of promulgating rules, this act takes effect upon becoming
a law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on
July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.
         HOUSE BILL NO. 2446

PASSED:  April 22, 2026

                                CAMEROfTSEXTON,SPEAKER
                                HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                             RANDYM
                                SPEAKER OF THE

a APPROVED this :21~.. day of Ma,/\~                                                     2026
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BILL LEE, GOVERNOR